(Replying to PARENT post)
(Replying to PARENT post)
Tesla drivers donβt need to go through the app to charge. They just plug in.
You can also charge elsewhere such as at home. Most public charging stations Iβve seen (Iβm in the US) do not have credit card readers and therefore require either a car that identifies itself, or an app.
(Replying to PARENT post)
As far as gas pumps and chargers, less chance of the interface being vandalized? In Tesla's case, I would imagine it is more an easy adaptation to current infrastructure without major changes to the chargers themselves.
(Replying to PARENT post)
In this particular case, it's because Tesla superchargers aren't point of sale terminals. They don't have a display or any means of interacting with the user beyond grabbing the plug connector and sticking it into a car.
That's a feature, not a bug. People who haven't actually supercharged a Tesla imagine this service to be like pulling into a gas station, and it's really not.
(Replying to PARENT post)
(Replying to PARENT post)
It's a pilot.
But, IMO, we should require ordinary credit/debit card access to high-speed chargers. Every time I use a Supercharger, I spend around $10 bucks, so there's no need to work around credit card fees.
(Replying to PARENT post)
I imagine they could have added some kind of reliable payment-card reader, maybe. But then you're dealing with a whole other level of things like people trying 3 different cards until they get one to work and burning time, possible fraud, skimming, etc. You also have new hardware and failure modes in the charger itself (the reader, the screen, the buttons, etc), whereas right now they're featureless, just a tall plastic thing with a charge cable on it, and it's charging to a known card pre-registered in the account.
It seems a reasonable tradeoff (at least in the US, to me, at this point in the industry's evolution) to stick with the system they've got for simplicity and speed, and ask for a Tesla app install. The only other open charging network I've tried in the US (Chargepoint) also needs an app install and account.
(Replying to PARENT post)
You're right, it shouldn't be necessary. It should be as easy to Supercharge any EV as it is a Tesla. There's a standard called Plug & Charge that makes exactly that possible, but most EVs don't support it yet, so the app is the temporary solution until they do.
(Replying to PARENT post)
Why should it be necessary to install software in order to fuel a vehicle? What benefit exists for the consumer?
I have noticed this as a trend in physical services, I was asked by a grocery store to install software prior to purchasing groceries, however they were gracious after I declined, and permitted me to purchase groceries using only my debit card.